Rail Loading Train For The Transport Of Long-Welded Rails

ABSTRACT

An anchoring device mechanism for anchoring rails includes a plurality of clamping jaws. The clamping jaws are connected to a jaw displacement device in order for the clamping jaws to be moved from a rail clamping position into a rail releasing position. A clamping drive unit is provided for moving the clamping jaws into the rail clamping position.

The invention relates to a rail loading train for the transport of long-welded rails, including loading cars mobile on a track and an anchoring device for the rails which is arranged at the end of the loading train and has clamping jaws comprising in each case a rail contact surface for force-locking application to a rail.

Rail loading trains of this type are already known from WO 2007/065500 A1 or EP 2 427 599. A device for anchoring the rails consists of a number of insertion devices. The latter has two clamping jaws, each with a movable roller-shaped clamping means. For force-locking connection of the clamping means to the rail base or for releasing the connection, the two clamping jaws are designed to be spaced to and from one another.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a rail loading train of the kind mentioned at the beginning with which the clamping, necessary for the transport, of the long rails to be transported can be carried out with optimal clamping reliability.

According to the invention, this object is achieved with a rail loading train of the kind mentioned at the beginning by way of the features cited in the characterizing part of claim 1.

Due to this combination of features, an automatically executable clamping of the rails with high clamping power can be achieved. Additionally, a problem-free and likewise automatic release of the rails for the unloading of the same from the rail loading train is ensured.

Further advantages of the invention become apparent from the dependent claims and the drawing description.

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to an embodiment represented in the drawing. FIG. 1 shows a simplified side view of a rail loading train, FIG. 2 shows a top view of an anchoring device provided for the clamping of rails, FIG. 3 shows an enlarged partial view of the anchoring device, and FIGS. 4, 5 each show an enlarged schematic cross-section of the anchoring device.

A rail loading train 1, shown in FIG. 1, is composed of a number of loading cars 4, mobile via on-track trucks 2 on a track 3, and serves for the transport of long-welded rails 5. In a known manner, these are stored on swivel beams 6 in three layers arranged one above the other. For loading and unloading the rails 5, a crane 7 is provided which is freely mobile along the loading cars 4 on crane rails and which displaces the long-welded rails 5 in the longitudinal direction of the car or train. At the end of the rail loading train 1, an anchoring device 8 for anchoring the rails 5 during transport is located.

As can be seen FIGS. 2 to 5, the anchoring device 8 comprises a number of clamping jaws 10 which are arranged parallel to one another and are displaceable in a jaw displacement direction 9 and have a jaw longitudinal direction 11 extending perpendicular to the jaw displacement direction 9. The clamping jaws 10 arranged on the common anchoring device 8 are connected with the aid of a jaw displacement device 12 for displacement of the clamping jaws 10 from a rail clamping position into a rail releasing position. A clamping drive 13 is provided for shifting the clamping jaws 10 back into the rail clamping position. Said clamping drive 13 is equipped with a hydraulic safety clamping, by means of which the clamping effect for fixing the rails 5 is maintained unrestricted even in the event of an energy failure or malfunctions.

Each clamping jaw 10 has two rail contact surfaces 14, extending parallel to one another in the jaw longitudinal direction 11 and lying opposite one another with regard to the jaw displacement direction 9, which are designed in each case for accommodating an end region of a rail base 15 of a rail 5. Each clamping jaw 10 is connected to a rail base contact plate 16 provided for support of the rail 5. Said rail base contact plate 16 extends in each case from the rail contact surface 14 in the direction towards the adjacent clamping jaw 10. The rail contact surfaces 14 and the rail base contact plates 16 have a special coating for increasing the friction value.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 2, the anchoring device 8 or rather a swivel beam plate 17 has two guide channels 18 which extend parallel to one another and are spaced from one another with regard to the jaw longitudinal direction 11. Arranged in these channels are guiding wedges 19 which are displaceable in the jaw displacement direction 9 and connected in each case to a clamping jaw 10. Each guiding wedge 19 has two clamping shoulders 21 spaced from one another in the jaw longitudinal direction 11 and provided for application to an underside of the swivel beam plate 17.

The mode of operation of the anchoring device 8 will be described in more detail below.

For setting down rails 5 to be transported, the adjacent clamping jaws 10 are spaced from one another in each case in such a manner that a problem-free placement of the rail base 15 on the two sliding strips 20 is possible. The displacement, required for this purpose, of the clamping jaws 10 into the respective rail releasing position takes place by means of the jaw displacement device 12.

During this rail loading operation, each clamping jaw 10 rests on the sliding strips 20 which are spaced from one another in the jaw longitudinal direction 11 and connected to the swivel beam plate 17 and extend parallel to one another (see right-hand part of FIG. 4). In this state, the rail base contact plates 16 connected to the clamping jaws 10 are lowered slightly with respect to a sliding plane 22, formed by the sliding surface of the sliding strips 20, in such a way that no contact exists between the rail base 15 and rail base contact plates 16 during the rail loading. As a result, the guiding wedges 19, connected to the clamping jaws 10 and the rail base contact plates 16, are also lowered slightly in such a manner that there is no contact of the clamping shoulders 21 with the underside of the swivel beam plate 17 (see FIG. 4).

After termination of the rail loading operation, the clamping jaws 10 are moved towards one another in pairs with the aid of the clamping drive 13, whereby finally a contacting of the rail base end with the associated rail contact surface 14 takes place. Immediately prior to finishing this closing operation, there is a slight lifting of the clamping jaws 10 together with the connected rail base contact plates 16 and the guiding wedges 19 due to the wedging effect of the rail contact surfaces 14 with the rail base end (see FIG. 5).

This finally leads to an intensive frictional locking both between the rail base 15 and the rail contact plate 16 as well as between the clamping shoulders 21 of the guiding wedges 19 and the swivel beam plate 17. The resulting frictional lock can be additionally enforced by a special laser coating.

If not all of the clamping positions of the automatic anchoring device 8 are occupied, the hydraulic clamping force produced by the clamping drive 13 is transmitted via the adjoining rail contact plates 16.

In order to avoid an uncontrolled slipping of the rails 5 when opening the anchoring device 8 in a track incline, electromagnets are arranged in the swivel beam 6. These absorb the downward shear force of the respective rail 5 and produce a magnetic force acting against an uncontrolled slipping of the rail. The respective magnet is unlocked only when the respective rail is seized by the gripper of the rail crane 8.

With the aid of the electromagnets associated with each rail, all rails can now be released separately in any desired order and subsequently be pulled off the loading car by the crane. For this purpose, the second clamping position for example is released in that the respective neodymium magnet is demagnetized and sinks downward and thus removes the friction coating from the underside of the long rails. Thereafter, the rail can be pulled off with low friction. 

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A rail loading train for the transport of long-welded rails, the rail loading train comprising: loading cars movable along a track; an anchoring device for the rails, said anchoring device being connected to one of said loading cars and disposed at an end of the loading train, and said anchoring device including clamping jaws each having a rail contact surface for force-locking application to a rail; each of said clamping jaws being mounted for displacement in a jaw displacement direction on said anchoring device and each of said clamping jaws having a jaw longitudinal direction extending perpendicularly to said jaw displacement direction; a jaw displacement device connected to said clamping jaws disposed on said anchoring device for displacement of said clamping jaws from a rail clamping position into a rail releasing position; and a clamping drive for displacement of said clamping jaws into said rail clamping position.
 8. The rail loading train according to claim 7, wherein said rail contact surface is one of two rail contact surfaces for each respective clamping jaw, said rail contact surfaces of each clamping jaw extending parallel to one another in said jaw longitudinal direction and lying opposite one another relative to said jaw displacement direction.
 9. The rail loading train according to claim 7, which further comprises rail base contact plates each being connected to a respective one of said clamping jaws for supporting a rail.
 10. The rail loading train according to claim 7, which further comprises a swivel beam plate, and two sliding strips supporting said clamping jaws and connected to said swivel beam plate, said sliding strips extending parallel to one another and being spaced from one another in said jaw displacement direction.
 11. The rail loading train according to claim 7, which further comprises: swivel beam plates; and guiding wedges each being connected to a respective one of said swivel beam plates; said anchoring device having two guiding channels extending parallel to one another and spaced from one another relative to said jaw longitudinal direction, said guiding wedges each being disposed in a respective one of said guiding channels and being displaceable in said jaw longitudinal direction.
 12. The rail loading train according to claim 11, wherein each of said guiding wedges has two clamping shoulders spaced apart from one another in said jaw longitudinal direction for application to an underside of said swivel beam plate. 